Lots of info today! And no fun fact at all. Sigh.
I’m in the process of scheduling
talkbacks with the audience after all of our Sunday matinees. Depending on the
audience, the talkback might last 20 to 30 minutes.
I’d like to know if any of you
have an interest in participating. It would be too much for all 21 of you to
stay every time, but I’d also like to give all of you a chance to entertain
questions from the audience and share your thoughts on the show. I’ll have a
sign up sheet posted backstage if you’d like to be included in a talkback. You
have four different opportunities to sign up. This is completely optional!
FLOOR
After looking at all those
stripes that I painted, I’ve decided that discretion is the better part of
valor and have staged a retreat. The lines are going! I will still paint the
house “blueprint,” but in a much more subdued color. The back wall now has a lovely texture on it that hides a lot of the seam lines.
LIGHTS
John was in the theater half a day Friday and almost all day Saturday setting lights. "Amazing" doesn't even begin to cut it. He has taken the lighting at HFAC to a whole 'nother level, and you guys are going to look like professionals at The Alley. If you see him around, be sure to thank him for his artistic endeavors.
BOWS
After much consideration, I have
decided to alter bows a bit.
The beauty of an ensemble bow is
that it gives the audience one huge picture all at once and they’re usually so
overwhelmed, that they instantly rise to their feet. And I want you guys to get
a standing ovation EVERY NIGHT! But I do want to also give you all a moment of
glory, particularly since some of your parts don’t give you lots of stage time.
Let’s see if we can accomplish
this right out of the shoot on Monday night. It has to go quickly, beofre the audience tires of slapping their hands together.
Step 1: Everyone enters the
stage, just as before and bows a single time. Stay in this same position until
it’s time for your second bow; don’t shuffle around.
Step 2: All kids trot forward in
a single line and bow. Please put taller kids on ends and shorter ones in the
middle. So Desi and Emily should be on the outside, next should be either
Peyton or Shaun, with Samuel, Gia, Estus and Sophia in the middle. Split center
and move to the sides and upstage. Patrick, you should be at the back of the
pack by now.
Step 3: Adult roles move forward
and bow: Matt, Mario, Michel, J., Reid, and Doug. Michel is in the middle, but all bow
at the same time. If you can sort by height, great. If not, don't sweat it. Split center and move SL and SR. Kids should be upstage of
you.
Step 4: LD, Whitney, Rita and
Jeff move to center and bow; ladies first, then gentlemen. Move SL or SR.
Step 4: Sarah and Robert move to
center, bow individually, move SR.
Step 5: Patrick takes center and
bows.
Step 6: Now comes the tricky
part. I really don’t like the curve, so I want to see if we can make two straight lines.
All kids from step 2 move to the front, with all other actors in a line behind them. One
more company bow, recognition of tech crew with the right hand, one final bow,
and lights.
Whew! Remember, don’t clap for
each other. I do think it would be a nice gesture for you to show your
appreciation of the tech crew by applauding them a few times, right
after you extend your hand to them.
SCHEDULE FOR THIS WEEK
On Monday and Tuesday, I’ll be
focusing almost exclusively on tech. Katie will be taking notes for you. If we
have time, she can give them at the end of rehearsal. If not, she will probably
be happy to post them on the blog for you. (Thanks, Katie!)
Here's what else is going on this week:
Monday
Julie Montgomery, from HFAC
Marketing Committee, will be on hand to videotape interviews with actors. These
will be posted on HFAC’s FB page to generate interest and buzz about the show.
In the past, these videos have tended towards the why-should-someone-buy-a-ticket-to-this-show
kind of format. And by “interview,” I mean a short, two or three question kind
of thing.
Since our cast is so large, it’s
not necessary that she videotape everyone. Even if she did, she wouldn’t be
able to use all the footage. But I did want to make leads available to her in a
timely fashion. She will set up around 7:30 (not sure just where; she may rove
around some.) Towards the end of Act I, as soon as you have exited, I’d like
Julie to see Rita, Whitney, and LD. At the end of Act I, she can see Jeff,
Sarah, and Robert. Julie will snag other adults and kids as she can. I’m not
sure Patrick has much free time to be interviewed at all. L
On Monday, you may wear costumes or
street clothes tonight, whichever is easier for you. I recommend practicing
costume changes, but there will likely be a number of restarts as sound and
lights finish their programming, so you may gain a false sense of security as
to how much time exists between cues, so be careful.
Tuesday
Tonight is photo night so full
costumes and makeup for everyone!
Emily Talbot, our photographer,
will take pictures of the entire show from start to finish. She doesn’t use a
flash and her camera is very quiet. She’ll be all over the stage; just pretend
she’s not there. She’s the same photographer that took the stunning publicity
photos of some of our leads a few weeks ago.
She’ll also take the official
cast photo. The best time to stage this is between Act II and Act III,
immediately after the wedding. You’ll all have on your wedding finery, so
immediately after exiting backstage, troop right on through the backstage area
and re-enter from SL. I’d like
both ladders in the picture to give us some levels, plus all the chairs from
the wedding will be there. (Picture includes tech crew!)
It’s important for everyone to be
serious about the photograph. There’s just no time for clowning around and
silliness.
Our sound design and board
operator Jean will not be here tonight; Tracy will be running sound, so there
may be some missed cues. Please be patient!
Wednesday
Straight run through tonight. I’d
recommend that you do all costume changes tonight, particularly if you’re
concerned about making everything work.
Robert, who will be going back to
college at Baylor in Waco, needs to move back into his dorm today in order to
prepare for classes beginning again. That’s a 3 or 4 hour drive, one way. I don’t
want him doing that all in one day PLUS moving, so he won’t be at rehearsal
tonight. In his absence, Doug, could you read Robert’s lines tonight? You
needn’t do all his blocking, just have your script handy and stand on stage.
Thursday
This is Family and Friend night.
If you have family or friends who have already purchased tickets, they may come
and see tonight’s show. You’re ready for an audience! We need to run through the entire show
without stopping, from opening to bows.
We're almost there, folks. I'm so proud of all of you! See you on Monday.
No comments:
Post a Comment